fall on
Britishverb
-
Also: fall upon. to attack or snatch (an army, booty, etc)
-
to fail, esp in a ridiculous or humiliating manner
-
to emerge unexpectedly well from a difficult situation
-
Also, fall upon.
-
Attack suddenly and viciously, as in They fell on the guards and overpowered them . [c. 1400]
-
Meet with, encounter, as in They fell on hard times . [Late 1500s]
-
Find by chance, discover, as in We fell upon the idea last Saturday night . [Mid-1600s]
-
Be the responsibility or duty of someone, as in It fell on Clara to support the entire family . [Mid-1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with fall on .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The Hill” is rooted in autobiography, but I would encourage readers to avoid learning about the author until finishing the novel, as Ms. Clark intends it to fly or fall on its literary merits.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
It really makes clear that the responsibility for fixing a natural disaster is mostly going to fall on the states.
From Slate • May 21, 2026
Separately, three visits by Jonathan to the site of the fall, on 7, 8 and 10 December, also raised suspicions and the investigating judge said they signalled "a planning and study of the site".
From BBC • May 20, 2026
And when pet owners fall on hard times, they’re more likely to give up their animals, creating overcrowding conditions at shelters and rescues, she said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
I’m amazed that I don’t fall on my face since the grass and the fallen leaves are so slippery.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
